Speaker Requests Evidence of Chinda’s Alleged APC Defection and Resignation as Minority Leader

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbass, was asked to produce records of proceedings in the Green Chamber to show that a letter announcing the defection of Kingsley Chinda to the All Progressives Congress, APC, and his resignation as Minority Leader was read on the floor of the House.

The Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners had filed a suit asking the Abuja Federal High Court for an order to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising Chinda as the governorship candidate of the APC.

An ally of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, minister, Nyesom Wike, Chinda, emerged the governorship candidate of the APC in the May 21, 2026, primary election, after the last-minute withdrawal of other contestants – incumbent Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Tonye Cole and Alabo Dakorinama George-Kelly.

But the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, members of whom are indigenes of Chinda’s Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State, sought to stop him from contesting the 2027 poll at an Abuja Federal High Court.

The plaintiff contended that the defection of the lawmaker was contrary to the provisions of Section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and pronouncements of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the defection of legislators.

“The plaintiff is asking the Speaker of the House of Representatives to produce evidence that a letter notifying the House of the development was read on the floor during plenary in support of the argument that Chinda’s defection did not follow due process.

The request was made in a letter dated May 26, 2027, signed by Jesse Williams Amuga, Esq., Administrative Secretary,

Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners Association

The letter read in part: “Request brought pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 2011: Request for the Hansard and Votes of Proceedings and Order Paper of each day of plenary sessions of the House of Representatives, National Assembly, during the month of March and April, 2026 or any other date to ascertain whether the records can confirm the date on which the Rt. Hon. Speaker or any other presiding officer of the House of Representatives read the official letter of resignation of Hon. Kingsley Ogundu Chinda to confirm cessation of his membership of the PDP and also to confirm his resignation as the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, National Assembly.

We are writing on behalf of some of the 500,000 registered constituents of Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, which is represented by Hon. Kingsley Ogundu Chinda.

We write to request a formal letter of response in relation to the above-named subject matter.

“We are requesting for this letter as a condition precedent under section 68 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 which we intend to tender as Exhibit in a lawsuit.

Before explaining the intentions of the above mentioned constituents, we lawyers representing them, had written a letter. Attached/enclosed is a copy of the said letter dated October 2025, to the said legislator.”

A copy of the letter was also sent to the Deputy Speaker and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

The Centre for Constitutional Governance and Electoral Integrity, CCGEI, stated that the Rivers lawmaker resigned as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives before participating in the APC governorship process and had not been involved in any activities related to the PDP since then, following the lawsuit filed against Chinda’s candidacy in the 2027 election.